Lifting of the Suspension of Gold Exploitation in Ituri

November 2025

The Minister of Mines, Louis Watum, has lifted the measure suspending gold exploitation throughout the province of Ituri. He made this announcement on Monday 6 October 2025 in Bunia, during a meeting with mining operators and provincial authorities.

Measures have already been taken to ensure better governance of the mining sector in this province, assured Minister Louis Watum, where several sites remain under the control of armed groups. The suspension of gold exploitation had been in place for a month to better regulate this sector.

Many mining operators were not identified and operated in violation of the mining code, engaging in fraud to evade taxes. This situation is detrimental to the State and local communities, which do not benefit from the spin-offs of this activity.

Faced with these challenges, the Minister of Mines, Louis Watum, asked operators to strictly comply with legal provisions: “We must bring seriousness into the administration. We must understand that we do not only have rights, but also obligations: the obligation to conduct our affairs with complete transparency by respecting the laws of the country, by respecting the environment and by ensuring that, ultimately, these riches do not benefit only the State – in terms of taxes and others – but also the communities surrounding these sites.”

The other major challenge concerns the control of hundreds of mining sites in the territories of Djugu, Irumu and Mambasa by armed groups. According to the Minister of Mines, these men will be hunted down by the army in order to restore the authority of the State throughout the province.

The FARDC “made the power of fire speak (on the littoral side), the enemy was routed. It is this army that will continue this effort, that will extend it across the entire province,” he continued. Foreign operators operate illegally on several mining sites in Ituri, escaping the control of specialised services.

The Governor of Ituri province, General Luboya N’kashama Johnny, had announced on Friday 29 August upon his arrival in Bunia the immediate suspension of all mining activities throughout the provincial territory.

This decision, according to the Governor, aimed to restore order in the mining sector, while ensuring that natural resources benefit the Congolese State and not armed groups.

By the Editorial Team, Benita Nkaya with Radio Okapi